Why Does Wahlburgers Use Government Cheese On Its Burgers?

Wahlburgers may only trace its origins to 2011, but it has already established itself as a star-anointed heavyweight in the U.S. burger market. Opened by Boston-born Hollywood actor and musician Mark Wahlberg and his brothers Donnie and Paul, it reached a peak of over 100 stores across the USA and multiple countries by the early 2020s — although some partnership issues have led to significant downsizing in the past few years — it garnered attention for its fresh burgers, large buns, and, more curiously "government cheese" — which is no other than an affectionate nod to the family's working class roots.

Chef Paul Wahlberg recounted his humble roots, growing up in a family of nine in Dorchester. With his parents struggling to make ends meet, they often relied on state-assisted programs — including food stamps — which involved foods like peanut butter, powdered milk, and cheese. A source of nostalgia for the three brothers, they named the orange slab of American cheese found in the top-selling "Our Burger" to remind themselves of the hardships they faced growing up, and as part of the burger chain's general family history-focused philosophy.

While it might confuse some customers of the private burger chain cashing in over $120 million a year, the cheese is not literally being provided by the government or by those of its other locations (Canada, New Zealand, and Australia). Back in 2014, Wahlburgers' X account (formerly known as Twitter) posted a tweet referencing its "government cheese". The chain itself now states that the name is merely symbolic, and that it is rather "premium" American cheese.

Yes, that is government cheese. That's the way we like it. You too? #Wahlburgers pic.twitter.com/GVEWV2w37z

— Wahlburgers (@Wahlburgers) February 12, 2014

Over at Wahlburgers, you get a bite of history along with your burger. The history behind "government cheese," however, is more complex than what is served in a bun. The USA has a history of finding ways to regulate the dairy industry, dating back to the Great Depression when an excess in milk production led to the federal government buying the product and turning it into cheese to both avoid waste and make it more durable. As a result of the vast quantities of cheese, the USDA eventually embarked on different programs to distribute it by the 1980s, when President Ronald Reagan enacted a policy that would lead to 30 million pounds being shared with families in need across the nation. Most of this was highly processed, bright-orange American cheese, which is heavily regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and has become the type you commonly find on your burgers — the exact sort the Wahlbergs grew up on, and now serve atop their chain's patties.